HomeRUGBYHarrison Butker Reacts to Serena Williams’ Dig at 2024 ESPYs
Harrison Butker Reacts to Serena Williams’ Dig at 2024 ESPYs
Kansas City Chiefs’ Harrison Butker spoke out after Serena Williams and Quinta Brunson shaded him at the 2024 ESPY Awards.
Harrison Butker is weighing in on that ESPYs comment.
One day after Serena Williams served up quite the dig at the Kansas City Chiefs kicker while reflecting on achievements by women athletes at the 2024 ESPY Awards, he weighed in on the viral moment.
“I thought Mrs. Williams was a great host and applaud her for using her platform to express her beliefs on a variety of topics,” Harrison said in a statement to NBC News July 12. “Sports are supposed to be the great unifier and at an event dedicated to celebrating a diverse group of men and women who have accomplished great feats, she used it as an opportunity to disinvite those with whom she disagrees with from supporting fellow athletes.”
During the July 11 ceremony, Serena, her sister Venus Williams and Quinta Brunson took the stage to speak about women’s sports, with Venus sharing an impassioned message to the audience.
“So, go ahead and enjoy women’s sports like you would any other sports,” she said, “because they are sports.”
Referring to the controversial remarks Harrison—who was in the audience during the ESPYs—made about women during his Benedictine College commencement speech in May, Serena quickly added, “Except you, Harrison Butker.”
While Venus snapped along in approval, Quinta commented the trio’s position, chiming in with, “At all. Like, ever.”
Harrison has been under fire in recent months after his wide-ranging commencement speech—during which he made comments about the LGBTQ+ community, reproductive rights and COVID-19—went viral.
Among the many topics raising eyebrows was his message to the women in the audience, suggesting “the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
Of course, Serena is not the only star to weigh in on Harrison’s speech. Keep reading to how others have reacted.
Katy Perry
The singer shared a heavily edited version of Butker’s controversial commencement speech that splices several of his words together to make it appear as though he praises the female graduates over their future careers, promotes “diversity, equity and inclusion” and wishes people a happy Pride Month.
“Fixed this for my girls, my graduates, and my gays — you can do anything,” Perry wrote on Instagram June 1. “Congratulations and happy pride.”
Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager
“Well, I’m where I am today because I have a husband who leans into his vocation, which is being an equal partner,” Jenna—who shares daughters Mila and Poppy as well as son Hal with husband Henry Hager—said on TODAY. “And I tell him that all the time.”
Added co-anchor Hoda, who’s mom to daughters Haley and Hope: “Don’t speak for us. Stop speaking for women out there.”
Travis Kelce
“I cherish him as a teammate,” the Kansas City Chiefs tight end said on the May 24 episode of the New Heights podcast. “He’s treated family and family that I’ve introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness. And that’s how he treats everyone.”
“When it comes down to his views and what he said at Saint Benedict’s commencement speech, those are his,” he continued. “I can’t say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it outside of just him loving his family and his kids. And I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life, that’s just not who I am.”
Eddie Vedder
The Pearl Jam frontman had some choice words, calling Butker at “f—kin’ p—y” during a May 18 concert in Las Vegas.
“That’s some good men, good women, making up a great band,” he said, gesturing to his fellow musicians onstage. “The singer, Jessica [Dobson], and the keyboard player, Patti [King], they must not have believed that [deepening his voice] ‘diabolical lie’ that women should take pride in taking a back seat to their man.”
Vedder—dad to daughters Olivia and Harper with wife Jill McCormick—waited for the applause to trail off, then added that homemaking “is maybe one of the hardest jobs” and one to “definitely take pride in.”
But he didn’t “understand the logic” of advising anyone, men or women, that they’ll benefit from giving up their dreams.
And, Vedder added, “There’s nothing more masculine than a strong man supporting a strong woman and people of quality do not fear equality.”
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